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			<h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading">Contract bridge</h1>
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<caption class="" style="font-size:125%; font-weight:bold;">Contract Bridge</caption>
<tr class="">
<td colspan="2" class="" style="text-align:center;">
<div class="floatnone"><a href="/wiki/File:Bridge_declarer.jpg" class="image"><img alt="Bridge declarer.jpg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Bridge_declarer.jpg/250px-Bridge_declarer.jpg" width="250" height="220" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="">Bridge declarer play</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="2" class="" style="text-align:center;">About</th>
</tr>
<tr class="">
<th style="text-align:left;">Alternative names</th>
<td class="" style="">Bridge</td>
</tr>
<tr class="">
<th style="text-align:left;">Skills required</th>
<td class="" style=""><a href="/wiki/Memory" title="Memory">Memory</a>, <a href="/wiki/Tactic_(method)" title="Tactic (method)">Tactics</a>, Probability, Communication</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="2" class="" style="text-align:center;">Gameplay</th>
</tr>
<tr class="">
<th style="text-align:left;">Type</th>
<td class="" style="">trick-taking</td>
</tr>
<tr class="">
<th style="text-align:left;">Players</th>
<td class="" style="">4</td>
</tr>
<tr class="">
<th style="text-align:left;">Cards</th>
<td class="" style="">52-card</td>
</tr>
<tr class="">
<th style="text-align:left;">Deck</th>
<td class="" style="">Anglo-American</td>
</tr>
<tr class="">
<th style="text-align:left;">Play</th>
<td class="" style="">Clockwise</td>
</tr>
<tr class="">
<th style="text-align:left;">Card rank (highest to lowest)</th>
<td class="" style="">A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2</td>
</tr>
<tr class="">
<th style="text-align:left;">Playing time</th>
<td class="" style=""><a href="/wiki/World_Bridge_Federation" title="World Bridge Federation">WBF</a> tournament games = 7.5 minutes per deal</td>
</tr>
<tr class="">
<th style="text-align:left;">Random chance</th>
<td class="" style="">Low&#160;— high depending on variant played</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="2" class="" style="text-align:center;">Related games</th>
</tr>
<tr class="">
<td colspan="2" class="" style="text-align:center;"><a href="/wiki/Whist" title="Whist">Whist</a>, <a href="/wiki/Auction_bridge" title="Auction bridge">Auction bridge</a>, <a href="/wiki/Wendellhead" title="Wendellhead">Wendellhead</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
<div class="rellink boilerplate seealso">See also: <a href="/wiki/Contract_bridge_glossary" title="Contract bridge glossary" class="mw-redirect">Contract bridge glossary</a></div>
<p><b>Contract bridge</b>, usually known simply as <b>bridge</b>, is a <a href="/wiki/Trick-taking_game" title="Trick-taking game">trick-taking</a> card game played by four players in two competing partnerships<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-0"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup> using a <a href="/wiki/Playing_cards#Anglo-American" title="Playing cards" class="mw-redirect">standard deck of 52 playing cards</a> with partners sitting opposite each other around a table.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a></sup> For purposes of scoring and reference, each player is identified by one of the points of the <a href="/wiki/Compass" title="Compass">compass</a> and thus North and South play against East and West.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a></sup> The game consists of several <a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_contract_bridge_terms#hand" title="Glossary of contract bridge terms">hands</a> (or <a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_contract_bridge_terms#deal" title="Glossary of contract bridge terms">deals</a>) each progressing through four phases - <a href="#dealing">dealing</a> the cards, the <a href="#auction_or_bidding">auction</a> (also referred to as bidding), <a href="#play_of_the_hand">playing</a> the hand and <a href="#scoring">scoring</a> the results.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a></sup> Dealing the cards and scoring the results are procedural activities leaving the auction and playing the hand as the two actively competitive phases of the game.</p>
<p>Cards are dealt clockwise, one-at-a-time and face down starting on the dealer's<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></a></sup> left so that each player receives thirteen cards. The auction starts with the dealer and rotates around the table clockwise with each player making a <a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_contract_bridge_terms#call" title="Glossary of contract bridge terms">call</a> <sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a></sup>, the purpose being to determine which partnership will <a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_contract_bridge_terms#Contract" title="Glossary of contract bridge terms">contract</a> to take the most number of tricks given a particular <a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_contract_bridge_terms#trumpsuit" title="Glossary of contract bridge terms">trump suit</a> or <a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_contract_bridge_terms#Notrump" title="Glossary of contract bridge terms">notrump</a> (known as the <a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_contract_bridge_terms#strain" title="Glossary of contract bridge terms">strain</a>)<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a></sup>. The player who, during the auction, first stated the strain ultimately becoming trumps or notrumps is referred to as the <a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_contract_bridge_terms#declarer" title="Glossary of contract bridge terms">declarer</a>. The rules of play are similar to other trick-taking games with the additional feature that the hand of declarer's partner is displayed face up on the table after the <a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_contract_bridge_terms#openinglead" title="Glossary of contract bridge terms">opening lead</a> has been made by the member of the <a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_contract_bridge_terms#defenders" title="Glossary of contract bridge terms">defending partnership</a> to the left of declarer; the displayed hand is referred to as the <a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_contract_bridge_terms#dummy" title="Glossary of contract bridge terms">dummy</a> and is played by declarer. After all thirteen tricks have been played, the hand's score is determined by comparing the actual number of tricks taken by the declaring partnership with that proposed in the contract and awarding points accordingly. Individual scores of several hands are accumulated to determine the overall game score.</p>
<p>While the game involves <a href="/wiki/Game_of_skill" title="Game of skill">skill</a> and <a href="/wiki/Game_of_chance" title="Game of chance">chance</a>, it has many variants and event types designed to emphasize skill, vary the method of scoring, set limits on the nature of the <a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_contract_bridge_terms#biddingsystem" title="Glossary of contract bridge terms">bidding systems</a> which may be used, limit the duration of play, have larger team composition, provide country representation in international play and to group players of similar interests, skill levels, age or gender, or combinations thereof. The most common game variants are <a href="/wiki/Rubber_bridge" title="Rubber bridge">rubber bridge</a> and <a href="/wiki/Duplicate_bridge" title="Duplicate bridge">duplicate bridge</a>. In rubber bridge, two partnerships particpate in the game at one table and the objective is to score the most number of points in the play of several hands. In duplicate bridge, there are more tables and partnerships and the hands are dealt and played in such a manner that each partnership plays the same set of hands and with the scoring based upon relative performance. Competitions in duplicate bridge range from small clubs with a handful of tables, to large <a href="/wiki/Tournaments" title="Tournaments" class="mw-redirect">tournaments</a> such as the <a href="/wiki/World_Bridge_Championships" title="World Bridge Championships">World Bridge Championships</a><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></a></sup> where hundreds of tables play the same hands. The game variant and associated method of scoring has sigificant influence on bidding and card play strategies.</p>
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<h2>Contents</h2>
</div>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="#Game_play"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Game play</span></a>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-2"><a href="#Dealing"><span class="tocnumber">1.1</span> <span class="toctext">Dealing</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3"><a href="#Auction_or_bidding"><span class="tocnumber">1.2</span> <span class="toctext">Auction or bidding</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4"><a href="#Play_of_the_hand"><span class="tocnumber">1.3</span> <span class="toctext">Play of the hand</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5"><a href="#Scoring"><span class="tocnumber">1.4</span> <span class="toctext">Scoring</span></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6"><a href="#Laws_of_contract_bridge"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Laws of contract bridge</span></a>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-7"><a href="#Laws_of_duplicate_contract_bridge"><span class="tocnumber">2.1</span> <span class="toctext">Laws of duplicate contract bridge</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-8"><a href="#Laws_of_rubber_bridge"><span class="tocnumber">2.2</span> <span class="toctext">Laws of rubber bridge</span></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-9"><a href="#History"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">History</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-10"><a href="#Tournaments"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Tournaments</span></a>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-11"><a href="#Bidding_boxes_and_bidding_screens"><span class="tocnumber">4.1</span> <span class="toctext">Bidding boxes and bidding screens</span></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-12"><a href="#Game_strategy"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">Game strategy</span></a>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-13"><a href="#Bidding"><span class="tocnumber">5.1</span> <span class="toctext">Bidding</span></a>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-14"><a href="#Bidding_systems_and_conventions"><span class="tocnumber">5.1.1</span> <span class="toctext">Bidding systems and conventions</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-15"><a href="#Basic_natural_systems"><span class="tocnumber">5.1.2</span> <span class="toctext">Basic natural systems</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-16"><a href="#Variations_on_the_basic_themes"><span class="tocnumber">5.1.3</span> <span class="toctext">Variations on the basic themes</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-17"><a href="#Advanced_bidding_techniques"><span class="tocnumber">5.1.4</span> <span class="toctext">Advanced bidding techniques</span></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-18"><a href="#Play_techniques"><span class="tocnumber">5.2</span> <span class="toctext">Play techniques</span></a>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-19"><a href="#Techniques_by_declarer"><span class="tocnumber">5.2.1</span> <span class="toctext">Techniques by declarer</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-20"><a href="#Advanced_techniques_by_declarer"><span class="tocnumber">5.2.2</span> <span class="toctext">Advanced techniques by declarer</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-21"><a href="#Techniques_by_defenders"><span class="tocnumber">5.2.3</span> <span class="toctext">Techniques by defenders</span></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-22"><a href="#Example"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">Example</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-23"><a href="#Playing_on_the_Internet"><span class="tocnumber">7</span> <span class="toctext">Playing on the Internet</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-24"><a href="#Computer_bridge"><span class="tocnumber">8</span> <span class="toctext">Computer bridge</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-25"><a href="#Card_games_related_to_bridge"><span class="tocnumber">9</span> <span class="toctext">Card games related to bridge</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-26"><a href="#See_also"><span class="tocnumber">10</span> <span class="toctext">See also</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-27"><a href="#References"><span class="tocnumber">11</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-28"><a href="#External_links"><span class="tocnumber">12</span> <span class="toctext">External links</span></a></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
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<h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=1" title="Edit section: Game play">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Game_play">Game play</span></h2>
<p>Two partnerships of two players each are needed to play bridge. The four players sit around a table with partners opposite one another. The <a href="/wiki/Compass" title="Compass">compass</a> directions are often used to refer to the four players, aligned with their seating pattern. Thus, <a href="/wiki/South" title="South">South</a> and <a href="/wiki/North" title="North">North</a> form one partnership and <a href="/wiki/East" title="East">East</a> and <a href="/wiki/West" title="West">West</a> form the other. Often there are long-established partnerships, in which the players have played together for many years. It is also possible, but somewhat more difficult, to play with a totally new partner.</p>
<p>A session of bridge consists of a number of <b>deals</b> (also called <i>hands</i> or <i>boards</i>). A hand is dealt (or may have been pre-dealt), the bidding (or auction) proceeds to a conclusion and then the hand is played. Finally, the hand's result is scored.</p>
<p>The goal of a single deal is to achieve a high score with the cards dealt. The score for the hand is affected by two principal factors: the contract (number of tricks bid in the auction, the denomination, and which side has bid it) and the number of tricks taken during play. It may also be affected by the <i>vulnerability</i>. The <b>contract</b>, a feature which distinguishes contract bridge from its predecessors, is an undertaking made during the auction by one partnership that they will take at least the stated number of tricks, either with a specified suit as <a href="/wiki/Trump_(card_game)" title="Trump (card game)" class="mw-redirect">trumps</a>, or without trumps (no trumps). The contract has two components: <b>level</b> and <b>strain</b> (also called <i>denomination</i>).</p>
<p>There are seven levels, numbered 1-7, and the number of tricks required is six plus the level number, so may be anywhere between 7 and 13. The five strains are ranked, from lowest to highest, as <i>clubs</i> (♣), <i>diamonds</i> (<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span>), <i>hearts</i> (<span style="color: red">♥</span>), <i>spades</i> (♠), and <i>no trump</i> (NT). The two lower-ranked suits (♣ and <span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span>) are called the minor suits (or minors), and the higher-ranked suits (<span style="color: red">♥</span> and ♠) are called majors. Minor suit contracts score less, so are less frequently chosen.</p>
<p>For instance, the contract "3 hearts" is a promise that the partnership will take nine tricks (six plus three) with hearts as the trump suit. Thus, there are 7&#160;×&#160;5&#160;=&#160;35 possible basic contracts; 1♣ being the lowest, followed by 1<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span> etc., up to 7NT.</p>
<p>In the bidding stage or <i>auction</i>, the pairs compete to determine who proposes the highest-ranked contract, and the side that wins the bidding must then strive in the play of the hand to fulfil that bargain by winning at least the contracted number of tricks if it is to obtain a score. Broadly speaking, there is an incentive to bid accurately to the <a href="/wiki/Optimum_contract" title="Optimum contract" class="mw-redirect">optimum contract</a> and then to play to make the contracted number of tricks (or more if good play or luck allows). If the side that wins the auction (<i>declaring side</i>) then takes the contracted number of tricks (or more), it is said to have <i>made the contract</i> and is awarded a score; otherwise, the contract is said to be <i>defeated</i> or <i>set</i> and points are awarded to the opponents (<i>defenders</i>).</p>
<p>It can sometimes pay to bid a contract that one does not expect to make, thus losing points, rather than allow the opposing side to bid and make a contract which carries an even higher score. This is known as a <i><a href="/wiki/Sacrifice_(bridge)" title="Sacrifice (bridge)">sacrifice</a></i>, and is quite common if both sides are contesting the final contract. This aspect is perhaps more common in some forms of duplicate bridge (which is played in competitions and many clubs) in which the goal is to get a better score than any other partnership facing the same hands, by however small a margin and in whatever way possible.</p>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=2" title="Edit section: Dealing">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Dealing">Dealing</span></h3>
<p>The <a href="/wiki/Game" title="Game">game</a> is played with a standard <a href="/wiki/Playing_card#Anglo-American" title="Playing card">deck of 52 cards</a>. In <a href="/wiki/Rubber_bridge" title="Rubber bridge">rubber bridge</a> (or other non-<a href="/wiki/Duplicate_bridge" title="Duplicate bridge">duplicate</a> games), the cards are <a href="/wiki/Shuffle" title="Shuffle" class="mw-redirect">shuffled</a> before each deal, and the dealer deals the cards clockwise one at a time, starting with the left-hand opponent, so that each player receives a <i>hand</i> of 13 cards. The deal rotates clockwise each hand.</p>
<p>In <a href="/wiki/Duplicate_bridge" title="Duplicate bridge">duplicate bridge</a> the hands are shuffled and dealt only once, at the beginning of the session. Players do not throw their cards to the center of the table during the play but instead play them immediately in front of themselves and turn them face down at the end of the trick. The direction that each face down card is pointed indicates which side won each trick, so that at the end of the hand, the number of tricks taken by each side can be determined. At the end of the hand each player returns his hand, intact, to the correct slot in the <i><a href="/wiki/Board_(bridge)" title="Board (bridge)">bridge board</a></i> in which it is transported to other tables so that everyone can play the same deals. The results for different players playing the same deal are then compared. This removes much of the element of chance from scores. It also means that in the case of an irregularity or dispute over a hand before the cards are returned to the board, they can be reviewed and it can be determined who played which cards in what order.</p>
<p>In some competitions, boards are pre-dealt prior to the competition, especially if the same hands are to be played at many locations (for example in a large national or international tournament). Sometimes computerised dealing machines are used for pre-dealing hands at large tournaments and in many clubs. As the boards arrive for play at each subsequent table, the four players take their cards from the board and should count them to ensure that there are 13 cards in their hand before looking at the cards, so that any irregularity can be corrected before the auction and play commence.</p>
<p>In some countries, the rules require that after the hand is played for the first time, the players write the hands down on the travelling scoresheet, which can be consulted later if the cards are accidentally mixed up. Alternatively, if the boards are pre-dealt, "curtain cards" may be supplied which have each hand printed on them, so that each player can check at the beginning of the deal that he has the right cards. Pre-dealt hands also have the advantage that, at the end of the session, diagrams of each deal can be made available to the players for later analysis.</p>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=3" title="Edit section: Auction or bidding">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Auction_or_bidding">Auction or bidding</span></h3>
<p>The <i>auction</i> determines the declaring side and the final contract. Only one of the partners of the declaring side, referred to as <i>declarer</i>, plays the hand, while the other becomes the <i>dummy</i> (i.e. doing nothing). In addition to establishing strain and level, the final contract may be doubled (by the opponents) or redoubled (by the declaring side after the opponents had already doubled), in which case the score for the hand is increased, whether the contract is made or defeated.</p>
<p>During the auction, each player makes a <i>call</i> in turn, which must be one of the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>a <i>Bid</i> (stating a level and a denomination)</li>
<li><i>Double</i> (when the last call other than pass was a bid by an opponent)</li>
<li><i>Redouble</i> (when the last call other than pass was a double by an opponent)</li>
<li><i>Pass</i> (when unwilling to make one of the three preceding calls)</li>
</ul>
<p>(<i>Note</i>: although technically incorrect, the word "bid" is also often used informally in place of "call")</p>
<p>The auction starts with the dealer and proceeds clockwise with each player, having first <a href="/wiki/Hand_evaluation" title="Hand evaluation">evaluated</a> their hand, making a call in order. The auction ends when three successive passes occur at some point after the dealer's first call. If all four players pass in the first round, the deal is not played (in rubber bridge the deal is not scored and the hand is redealt by the original dealer, while in duplicate the score is recorded as zero for each pair since re-dealing a hand that has been 'passed out' is prohibited by the rules).</p>
<p>A <i>bid</i> specifies a level and denomination, and ostensibly denotes a willingness to play the corresponding contract. A player wishing to bid must make a bid that is sufficient; a bid is sufficient if it specifies any denomination at a higher level than the last bid, or a higher-ranked denomination at the same level. Thus, after a bid of 3<span style="color: red">♥</span>, bids of 2♠ or 3♣ are not allowable, but 3♠ or 4<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span> are. A bid that skips one level of bidding is called a (single) <i>jump</i>, for instance 2♠ over 1<span style="color: red">♥</span> is a jump, but 2<span style="color: red">♥</span> over 1♠ is not a jump. Similarly, a <i>double jump</i> is a bid that skips two levels of bidding, for instance 3♠ over 1<span style="color: red">♥</span> or 4<span style="color: red">♥</span> over 1♠.</p>
<p>A <i>double</i> can be made only after the opponents have made a bid. The natural meaning of a double is that the player is confident that the opponents cannot fulfil their contract, and the player is willing to risk increasing the opponents' score if they succeed, in exchange for receiving a larger penalty if the opponents fail. However, in modern bridge, the double more often has a <a href="/wiki/Convention_(bridge)" title="Convention (bridge)" class="mw-redirect">conventional</a> (artificial) meaning (especially after a low level bid, for example 1♠), to ask partner to bid or to pass information to partner. A "redouble" can be made only after an opponent's double; it further increases the points scored and the penalty for failure yet further. However a redouble is almost always conventional, and very few redoubled contracts end up being played. In practice, the double and redouble are often used systemically for other purposes, though if they are in effect for the final contract they increase the score regardless of their intended meaning. Double and redouble remain in effect only until the next bid&#160;— any subsequent bid invalidates them.</p>
<p>Once the auction ends, the last bid (together with any double and/or redouble that followed it) becomes the contract, the level of this bid determines the number of tricks required to fulfil the contract and its strain determines what suit, if any, will be trumps.</p>
<p>It should be noted that the primary purpose of early bids is to exchange information rather than to determine the final contract. For most players, many calls (bids, doubles and redoubles, and sometimes even passes) are not made with the intention that they become the final contract, but to describe the strength and distribution of the player's hand, so that the partnership can make an informed guess which is the best contract, and/or to obstruct the opponents' bidding. The set of agreements used by a partnership about the meaning of each call is referred to as a <a href="/wiki/Bidding_system" title="Bidding system">bidding system</a>, full details of which must be made available to the opponents; 'secret' systems are not allowed. An opponent can ask the bidder's partner to explain the meaning of the call.</p>
<p>The pair that did not win the contract is called the <i>defense</i>. The pair that made the last bid is divided further: the player who first made a bid in the denomination of the final contract becomes the <i>declarer</i> and his partner becomes the <i>dummy.</i> For example, suppose West is the dealer and the bidding was:</p>
<table class="wikitable">
<tr>
<th width="25%"><b>West</b></th>
<th width="25%"><b>North</b></th>
<th width="25%"><b>East</b></th>
<th width="25%"><b>South</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>pass</td>
<td>1<span style="color: red">♥</span></td>
<td>pass</td>
<td>1♠</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>pass</td>
<td>2<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span></td>
<td>double</td>
<td>3♠</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>pass</td>
<td>4♠</td>
<td>pass</td>
<td>pass</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>pass</td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>Then East and West would be the defenders, South would be the declarer (being the first to bid spades), North would be the dummy, and spades the trump suit; 10 tricks would be required by declarer (and dummy). Since East's double of 2<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span> was invalidated by the subsequent South's 3♠ bid, it does not affect the contract. For the purpose of determining the declarer, bids in the denomination of the final contract by the defense are ignored.</p>
<p><a href="/wiki/Bidding_box" title="Bidding box">Bidding boxes</a> contain a special card for each possible call. When these are in use, players make a call by taking the appropriate card from the bidding box and placing it on the table. This avoids the need for players to bid out loud. This prevents players at nearby tables overhearing the bidding and also avoids voice inflexions passing information to a partner. Pre-printed bidding pads, on which the calls can be written, are sometimes used instead in Australia and New Zealand.</p>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=4" title="Edit section: Play of the hand">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Play_of_the_hand">Play of the hand</span></h3>
<p>The play consists of 13 <a href="/wiki/Trick_(cards)" title="Trick (cards)" class="mw-redirect">tricks</a>, each trick consisting of one card played from each of the four hands. Aces are high in bridge, followed by kings, queens, jacks, 10s, 9s ... down to 2s, the lowest card in each suit. The first card played in a trick is called the <i>lead</i>; after the lead, play proceeds clockwise around the table. Any card may be selected from a hand as the lead, but the remaining hands must <i>follow suit</i>, meaning they must play a card of the same suit as the lead, unless the hand in question has no more cards of that suit, in which case any card may be played. The hand that plays the highest card in the suit of the lead wins the trick, unless any of the played cards are of the <i>trump suit</i>, in which case the hand that plays the highest trump card wins the trick. The hand that wins the trick plays the lead card of the next trick, until all the cards have been played.</p>
<p>The first lead, called the <i>opening lead</i>, is made by the defender to the left of the declarer. After the opening lead is played, the dummy lays his/her hand face up on the table in four columns, one for each suit, with the column of the trump suit (if there is one) on the right as dummy looks at the table. The declarer is responsible for selecting cards to play from the dummy's hand and from his own hand in turn. The defenders each choose the cards to play from their own hands. Dummy is allowed to try to prevent declarer from infringing the rules, but otherwise must not interfere with the play; for example, dummy may attempt to prevent declarer from leading from the wrong hand (by stating, e.g., "you won the last trick in dummy") but must not comment on opponents' actions or make suggestions as to play. In casual bridge games the dummy often does nothing, but in duplicate bridge dummy must play cards from the dummy hand at declarer's instruction (e.g., by saying "jack of hearts please, partner", or less frequently by touching or pointing at the card that declarer wishes to play).</p>
<p>The contract level sets a specific target: in the example above, the declarer must attempt to win ten tricks (the assumed "book" of six, plus four as bid, with spades as trumps), to <i>make</i> the contract and get a positive score. Success in this goal is rewarded by points in the scoring phase for the declarer's side. If the declarer fails to make the contract, the defenders are said to have <i>set</i> or <i>defeated</i> the contract (declarer has <i>gone down</i>), and are awarded points for doing so.</p>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=5" title="Edit section: Scoring">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Scoring">Scoring</span></h3>
<div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Bridge_scoring" title="Bridge scoring">Bridge scoring</a></div>
<p>The goal for each pair is to make as high a score as possible. However, if the contract is made, the level of the contract is the primary factor affecting the scoring, rather than the number of tricks taken in play: for example, if the declarer takes all 13 tricks without trumps, there is a huge score difference between the cases of contract being 1NT and 7NT. This premium for contracting to take more tricks ensures competitiveness in the auction: even if a partnership holds most of the high cards and their opponents have no interest in bidding, they are still encouraged to bid high in order to achieve the best possible score, which in turn often results in contracts that are difficult to make.</p>
<p>When the declarer makes the contract, the declarer's side receives points for:</p>
<ul>
<li>Every trick bid and made (20 for minor suit contracts, 30 for major suit and no-trump ones, with an additional 10 points for the first trick at no-trump)</li>
<li>Overtricks (tricks taken over the contract level), again with 20 for minor suits, 30 for majors and no-trump</li>
<li>Bonuses for contract level</li>
<li>Other specific bonuses</li>
</ul>
<p>When the declarer fails to make the contract, the defending pair receives points for <i>undertricks</i>&#160;— the number of tricks by which declarer fell short of the goal.</p>
<p>Because of the structure of bonuses, certain bid levels have special significance. The most important level is <i>game</i>, which is any contract whose bid trick value is 100 or more points. Game level varies by suit, since different suits are worth different amounts in scoring. The game level for no-trump is 3 (9 tricks, 3 x 30 + 10 = 100), the game level for hearts or spades (<i>major suits</i>) is 4 (10 tricks, 4 x 30 = 120), and the game level for clubs or diamonds (<i>minor suits</i>) is 5 (11 tricks, 5 x 20 = 100). Because of the value of the game bonus, much of the bidding revolves around investigating the possibility of making game. Even higher bonuses are also awarded for bidding and making <i>small slam</i> (level 6, ie 12 tricks) and the rather rare <i>grand slam</i> (level 7, i.e. all 13 tricks). The contracts below game level are called <i>partial contracts</i> or <i>part scores</i>.</p>
<p>The concept of <i>vulnerability</i> affects scoring and introduces a wider range of tactics in bidding and play. Every partnership is beforehand assigned one of two states: <i>vulnerable</i> or <i>non-vulnerable</i>. When a pair is vulnerable, game and slam bonuses are higher, as are penalties for failure to make the contract. Methods for assigning vulnerability differ between duplicate and rubber bridge.</p>
<p>There are two important variations in bridge scoring: <a href="/wiki/Rubber_bridge" title="Rubber bridge">rubber scoring</a> and duplicate/Chicago scoring. They share most features, but differ in how the total score is accumulated. In rubber bridge, the declaring partnership counts points for successfully taken contracted tricks "below the line" on a scoresheet (which can be accumulated to make a game), while penalties and bonuses are tallied "above the line". The first partnership to accumulate two games gets a "rubber" bonus. In duplicate bridge, all the points are accumulated for each hand by itself and present a single score, expressed as a positive number (sum of trick points and bonus points) for the winning pair, and by implication, as a negative number for their opponents. (A third form, "Chicago" bridge, is a form of "friendly" game that uses duplicate scoring, with every deal scored as a single number, but usually with only one table (i.e., not duplicated elsewhere) and with vulnerability assigned in a very simple fashion.) Part-scores are not carried forward from one hand to the next.</p>
<p>In <a href="/wiki/Duplicate_bridge" title="Duplicate bridge">duplicate bridge</a>, the same cards are played unchanged at two or more tables, and the results are then compared. Scores at each table are recorded on traveling slips that move with the boards or on pickup slips taken to the director. More recently, wireless electronic scoring is becoming more common. For this, each table has a purpose-built keypad on which players enter the score which is then transmitted directly to the scoring computer, doing away with paper slips.</p>
<p>Depending on the type of tournament, after the different scores on a board are compared, the relative scores are converted either to <i>match points (MP)</i> or to <i>international match points (IMP)</i>. Regardless of the actual contract, the competitor (pair or team) with the best performance on each board gets the highest number of MP or IMP for that board, and vice versa. The competitor with the highest total number of MP or IMP becomes the winner of the tournament. Thus, even with bad cards, competitors can win the tournament if they have bid better and/or played better than the other players who played the same set of cards.</p>
<p>Match points (or (for teams) "Board-a-match") scoring simply awards a team or pair two match points for every other pair that had a lower score playing the same hands on that board and one match point for every other pair that had exactly the same score. (In the USA, the points awarded not 2 and 1, but 1 and ½.)</p>
<p>IMPs convert differences in scores using a sliding scale. 0 IMPS are awarded for a 0-10 point difference. This requires slightly different tactics at the table.</p>
<h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=6" title="Edit section: Laws of contract bridge">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Laws_of_contract_bridge">Laws of contract bridge</span></h2>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=7" title="Edit section: Laws of duplicate contract bridge">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Laws_of_duplicate_contract_bridge">Laws of duplicate contract bridge</span></h3>
<div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Laws_of_Duplicate_Contract_Bridge" title="Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge">Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge</a></div>
<p>The Laws constitute the rules of the game. In addition to the basic rules there are a great many additional rules covering playing conditions and how to deal with various kinds of irregularity. The players do not need to be familiar with many of these additional rules, which are rarely referred to and are included mainly for the benefit of tournament directors. In addition, some details are left to the discretion of the national bridge organisation (for tournaments under their aegis) and some (for example the choice of <i>movement</i>) to the sponsoring organisation (eg the club).</p>
<p>The worldwide rules are promulgated by the World Bridge Federation (WBF) as the "International Code of Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2007 (LAW)", available under www.worldbridge.org/departments/laws. There are 93 laws.</p>
<p>National organisations publish books containing their version of the Laws: for example the <a href="/wiki/American_Contract_Bridge_League" title="American Contract Bridge League">American Contract Bridge League</a> publishes a book, "Laws of Duplicate Bridge".</p>
<p>The laws were compiled by Harold S. Vanderbilt in 1925, but there have been many detailed changes since then in an effort to make the game fairer. Vanderbilt introduced <i>inter alia</i> the current concept of scoring, the use of boards to hold the cards, and the Tournament Director.</p>
<p>Despite or perhaps because of the complexity of the laws, there are sometimes difficulties in interpreting them to apply to specific situations, and various organisations have committees to make judgements on the rules and to conduct appeals against decisions by tournament directors.</p>
<p>Clearly detailed precise rules are important for high level tournaments, but may in part be less relevant to, and unhelpful for, bridge played in local clubs.</p>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=8" title="Edit section: Laws of rubber bridge">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Laws_of_rubber_bridge">Laws of rubber bridge</span></h3>
<p>"Rubber bridge " is a version of the game played by four players on their own. Each hand is only played once so there is no comparison of scores. Thus it contrasts with duplicate bridge. A succession of hands are played and the scores made by each side are accumulated until one side has won two "games", at which point the overall scores are totalled and the winner is determined. (As in duplicate, a minimum trick score of 100 is required for game.) The main differences in scoring compared with duplicate bridge are that</p>
<ul>
<li>"part-scores" (trick scores of less than 100) are accumulated to count towards game, but are not carried forward to the following game.</li>
<li>there is no bonus for making a part-score.</li>
<li>a bonus may be awarded for "honours", ie for holding all or most of the high cards in the trump suit.</li>
<li>"vulnerability" (which affects the size of penalties and bonuses) is determined by previous games within the rubber, whereas in duplicate it is predetermined by the number of the board.</li>
</ul>
<p>Some people play "Chicago", in which each hand is played only once but the scoring is more similar to duplicate bridge.</p>
<h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=9" title="Edit section: History">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
<div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main article: <a href="/wiki/History_of_contract_bridge" title="History of contract bridge">History of contract bridge</a></div>
<p>Bridge is member of the family of <a href="/wiki/Trick-taking_game" title="Trick-taking game">trick-taking games</a> and is a development of <a href="/wiki/Whist" title="Whist">Whist</a>, which had become the dominant such game enjoying a loyal following for centuries. According to the <a href="/wiki/Oxford_English_Dictionary" title="Oxford English Dictionary">Oxford English Dictionary</a>, <i>Bridge</i> is the <a href="/wiki/English_language" title="English language">English</a> pronunciation of a game called <i><a href="/wiki/Biritch" title="Biritch">Biritch</a></i>, which was also known as Russian Whist.</p>
<p>The oldest known <a href="http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Biritch,_or_Russian_Whist" class="extiw" title="s:Biritch, or Russian Whist">Biritch rule book</a> dates from 1886 and documents many significant bridge-like developments from whist: dealer chose the <a href="/wiki/Trump_(cards)" title="Trump (cards)" class="mw-redirect">trump</a> suit, or nominated his partner to do so; there was a call of no trumps (<i>biritch</i>); dealer's partner's hand became dummy; points were scored above and below the line; game was 3NT, 4H and 5D (although 8 club odd tricks and 15 spade odd tricks were needed); the score could be doubled and redoubled; and there were slam bonuses. This game, and variants of it known as <i>bridge</i><sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span>[</span>9<span>]</span></a></sup> and <i>bridge-whist</i>,<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span>[</span>10<span>]</span></a></sup> became popular in the United States and the UK in the 1890s despite the long-established dominance of whist.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span>[</span>11<span>]</span></a></sup></p>
<p>In 1904 <a href="/wiki/Auction_bridge" title="Auction bridge">auction bridge</a>, (also known as <i>royal auction bridge</i><sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span>[</span>12<span>]</span></a></sup>), was developed, in which the players bid in a competitive auction to decide the contract and declarer. The object became to make at least as many tricks as were contracted for and penalties were introduced for failing to do so.</p>
<p>The modern game of contract bridge was the result of innovations to the scoring of auction bridge made by <a href="/wiki/Harold_Stirling_Vanderbilt" title="Harold Stirling Vanderbilt">Harold Stirling Vanderbilt</a> and others. The most significant change was that only the tricks contracted for were scored below the line toward game or a slam bonus, a change that resulted in bidding becoming much more challenging and interesting. Also new was the concept of <i>vulnerability</i>, making sacrifices to protect the lead in a rubber more expensive, and the various <a href="/wiki/Bridge_scoring" title="Bridge scoring">scores</a> were adjusted to produce a more balanced game. Vanderbilt set out his rules in 1925, and within a few years contract bridge had so supplanted other forms of the game that "bridge" became synonymous with "contract bridge."</p>
<p>In the USA, most of the bridge played today is <a href="/wiki/Duplicate_bridge" title="Duplicate bridge">duplicate bridge</a>, which is played at clubs, in tournaments and online.<sup class="Template-Fact" title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from January 2008" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed">citation needed</a></i>]</sup> In the UK, <a href="/wiki/Rubber_bridge" title="Rubber bridge">rubber bridge</a> is still popular in both homes and clubs, as is duplicate bridge. It has been noted that the popularity of contract brdige has waned in recent years for a variety of reasons.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span>[</span>13<span>]</span></a></sup></p>
<h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=10" title="Edit section: Tournaments">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Tournaments">Tournaments</span></h2>
<p>Bridge is a game of skill played with <a href="/wiki/Random" title="Random" class="mw-redirect">randomly</a> dealt cards, which makes it also a <a href="/wiki/Game_of_chance" title="Game of chance">game of chance</a>, or more exactly, a tactical game with inbuilt randomness, imperfect knowledge and restricted communication. The chance element is in the deal of the cards; in competitions and clubs the chance element is largely eliminated by comparing results of multiple pairs in identical situations. This is achievable when there are eight or more players, sitting at two or more tables, and the deals from each table are preserved and passed to the next table, thereby <i>duplicating</i> them for the next table of participants to play. At the end of a session, the scores for each deal are compared, and the most points are awarded to the players doing the best with each particular deal. This measures skill because each player is being judged only on the ability to bid with, and play, the same cards as other players.</p>
<p>This form of the game is referred to as <i>duplicate bridge</i> and is played in clubs and tournaments, which can gather as many as several hundred players. Duplicate bridge is a <a href="/wiki/Mind_sport" title="Mind sport" class="mw-redirect">mind sport</a>, and its popularity gradually became comparable to that of <a href="/wiki/Chess" title="Chess">chess</a>, with which it is often compared for its complexity and the mental skills required for high-level competition. Bridge and chess are the only "mind sports" recognized by the <a href="/wiki/International_Olympic_Committee" title="International Olympic Committee">International Olympic Committee</a>, although they were not found eligible for the main <a href="/wiki/Olympic_games" title="Olympic games" class="mw-redirect">Olympic</a> program.<sup id="cite_ref-IOC_13-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-IOC-13"><span>[</span>14<span>]</span></a></sup></p>
<p>The basic premise of duplicate bridge had previously been used for whist matches as early as 1857. Initially, bridge was not thought to be suitable for duplicate competition; it wasn't until the 1920s that (auction) bridge tournaments became popular.</p>
<p>In 1925 when contract bridge first evolved, bridge tournaments were becoming popular, but the rules were somewhat in flux, and several different organizing bodies were involved in tournament sponsorship: the <a href="/w/index.php?title=American_Bridge_League&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="American Bridge League (page does not exist)">American Bridge League</a> (formerly the American Auction Bridge League, which changed its name in 1929), the <a href="/w/index.php?title=American_Whist_League&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="American Whist League (page does not exist)">American Whist League</a>, and the <a href="/w/index.php?title=United_States_Bridge_Federation&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="United States Bridge Federation (page does not exist)">United States Bridge Federation</a>. In 1935, the first officially recognized world championship was held. By 1937, however, the <a href="/wiki/American_Contract_Bridge_League" title="American Contract Bridge League">American Contract Bridge League</a> had come to power (a union of the ABL and the USBF), and it remains the principal organizing body for <a href="/wiki/North_American_Bridge_Championships" title="North American Bridge Championships">bridge tournaments</a> in North America. In 1958, the <a href="/wiki/World_Bridge_Federation" title="World Bridge Federation">World Bridge Federation</a> was founded, as bridge had become an international activity.</p>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=11" title="Edit section: Bidding boxes and bidding screens">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Bidding_boxes_and_bidding_screens">Bidding boxes and bidding screens</span></h3>
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Bidding box</div>
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<p>In tournaments, "<a href="/wiki/Bidding_box" title="Bidding box">bidding boxes</a>" are frequently used. A bidding box is a box of cards, each bearing the name of one of the legal calls in bridge. A player wishing to make a call displays the appropriate card from the box, rather than making an oral declaration. This prevents <i>unauthorized information</i> (i.e., anything other than the call itself) from being conveyed via voice inflection, and minimizes the chances that somebody at another table will overhear the bidding. In top national and international events, "<a href="/wiki/Screen_(bridge)" title="Screen (bridge)">bidding screens</a>" are used. These are placed diagonally across the table, preventing partners from seeing each other during the game; often the screen is removed after the auction is complete.</p>
<h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=12" title="Edit section: Game strategy">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Game_strategy">Game strategy</span></h2>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=13" title="Edit section: Bidding">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Bidding">Bidding</span></h3>
<div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Bidding_system" title="Bidding system">Bidding system</a> and <a href="/wiki/Convention_(bridge)" title="Convention (bridge)" class="mw-redirect">Convention (bridge)</a></div>
<p>Much of the complexity in bridge arises from the difficulty of arriving at a good final contract in the auction. This is a difficult problem: the two players in a partnership must try to communicate sufficient information about their hands to arrive at a makeable contract, but the information they can exchange is restricted—information may be passed only by the calls made and later by the cards played, not by other means; in addition, the agreed-upon meaning of each call and play must be available to the opponents.</p>
<p>Since a partnership that has freedom to bid gradually at leisure can exchange more information, and since a partnership that can interfere with the opponents' bidding (as by raising the bidding level rapidly) can cause difficulties for their opponents, bidding systems are both informational and strategic. It is this mixture of information exchange and evaluation, deduction, and tactics that is at the heart of bidding in bridge.</p>
<p>A number of basic <a href="/wiki/Rule_of_thumb" title="Rule of thumb">rules of thumb</a> in bridge bidding and play are summarized as <a href="/wiki/Bridge_maxims" title="Bridge maxims">bridge maxims</a>.</p>
<h4><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=14" title="Edit section: Bidding systems and conventions">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Bidding_systems_and_conventions">Bidding systems and conventions</span></h4>
<p>A <i>bidding system</i> is a set of partnership agreements on the meanings of bids. A partnership's bidding system is usually made up of a core system, modified and complemented by specific <a href="/wiki/Convention_(bridge)" title="Convention (bridge)" class="mw-redirect">conventions</a> (optional customizations incorporated into the main system for handling specific bidding situations) which are pre-chosen between the partners prior to play. The line between a well-known convention and a part of a system is not always clear-cut: some bidding systems include specified conventions by default. Bidding systems can be divided into mainly natural systems such as <a href="/wiki/Acol" title="Acol">Acol</a> and <a href="/wiki/Standard_American" title="Standard American">Standard American</a>, and mainly artificial systems such as the <a href="/wiki/Precision_Club" title="Precision Club">Precision Club</a>.</p>
<p>Calls are usually considered to be either <i>natural</i> or <i>conventional</i> (artificial). A natural bid is one in which the suit and level bid is essentially passing the information "I have some cards in this suit and (usually) some high cards in my hand"; a natural double says in effect "I don't think the opponents can make their contract, so I want to raise the stakes". By contrast, a conventional (artificial) call offers and/or asks for information by means of pre-agreed coded interpretations, in which some calls convey very specific information or requests that are not part of the natural meaning of the call. Thus in response to 4NT, a 'natural' bid of 5<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span> would state a preference towards a diamond suit or a desire to play the contract in 5 diamonds, whereas if the partners have agreed to use the common <a href="/wiki/Blackwood_convention" title="Blackwood convention">Blackwood convention</a>, a bid of 5<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span> in the same situation would say nothing about the diamond suit, but tell the partner that the hand in question contains exactly one ace.</p>
<p>Conventions are valuable in bridge because of the need to pass information beyond a simple like or dislike of a particular suit, and because the limited bidding space can be used more efficiently by taking situations in which a given call will have less utility, because the information it would convey is not valuable or because the desire to convey that information would arise only rarely, and giving that call an artificial meaning that conveys more useful (or more frequently useful) information. There are a very large number of conventions from which players can choose; many books have been written detailing bidding conventions. Well-known conventions include <a href="/wiki/Stayman" title="Stayman" class="mw-redirect">Stayman</a> (to ask for the showing of any 4 card major suit in a 1NT opener's hand), <a href="/wiki/Jacoby_transfer" title="Jacoby transfer">Jacoby transfers</a> (a request by the weak hand for the stronger partner to bid a particular suit first, and therefore to become the declarer), and the <a href="/wiki/Blackwood_convention" title="Blackwood convention">Blackwood convention</a> (to ask for information on the number of aces and kings held, used in slam bidding situations).</p>
<p>The term <i><a href="/wiki/Preempt" title="Preempt">preempt</a></i> refers to a high level tactical bid by a weak hand, relying upon a long suit rather than high-value cards for tricks. Preemptive bids serve a double purpose&#160;— they allow players to indicate they are bidding on the basis of a long suit in an otherwise weak hand, which is important information to share, and they also consume substantial bidding room before a possibly strong opposing pair can identify whether they have a good possibility to play the hand, or in what suit or at what level they should do so. Several systems include the use of opening bids or other early bids with weak hands including long (usually six to eight card) suits at the 2, 3 or even 4 or 5 levels as preempts.</p>
<h4><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=15" title="Edit section: Basic natural systems">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Basic_natural_systems">Basic natural systems</span></h4>
<p>As a rule, a natural suit bid indicates a holding of at least four (or more, depending on the situation and the system) cards in that suit as an opening bid, or a lesser number when supporting partner; a natural NT bid indicates a balanced hand.</p>
<p>Most systems use a count of <a href="/wiki/High_card_point" title="High card point" class="mw-redirect">high card points</a> as the basic evaluation of the strength of a hand, refining this by reference to shape and distribution if appropriate. In the most commonly used point count system, aces are counted as 4 points, kings as 3, queens as 2, and jacks as 1 point; therefore, the deck contains 40 points. In addition, the <i>distribution</i> of the cards in a hand into suits may also contribute to the strength of a hand and be counted as <a href="/wiki/Point_count" title="Point count" class="mw-redirect">distribution points</a>. A better than average hand, containing 12 or 13 points, is usually considered sufficient to <i>open</i> the bidding, i.e., to make the first bid in the auction. A combination of two such hands (i.e., 25 or 26 points shared between partners) is often sufficient for a partnership to bid, and generally to make, game in a <a href="/wiki/Major_suit" title="Major suit">major suit</a> or notrump (more are usually be needed for a <a href="/wiki/Minor_suit" title="Minor suit">minor suit</a> game, as the level is higher).</p>
<p>In natural systems, a 1NT opening bid usually reflects a hand that has a relatively balanced shape (usually between two and four (or less often five) cards in each suit) and a sharply limited number of high card points, usually somewhere between 12 and 18&#160;— the most common ranges use a span of exactly three points, (e.g., 12-14, 15-17 or 16-18), but some systems use a 4 point range, usually 15-18.</p>
<p>Opening bids of 3 or higher are preemptive bids, i.e., bids made with weak hands that especially favor a particular suit, opened at a high level in order to define the hand's value quickly and to frustrate the opposition. For example, a hand of ♠KQJ9872 <span style="color:red">♥</span>7 <span style="color:red">♦</span>42 ♣763 would be a candidate for an opening bid of 3♠, designed to make it difficult for the opposing team to bid and find their <a href="/wiki/Optimum_contract" title="Optimum contract" class="mw-redirect">optimum contract</a> even if they have the bulk of the points, as it is nearly valueless unless spades are trumps, it contains good enough spades that the penalty for being set should not be higher than the value of an opponent game, and the high card weakness makes it more likely that the opponents have enough strength to make game themselves.</p>
<p>Openings at the 2 level are either unusually strong (2NT, natural, and 2♣, artificial) or preemptive, depending on the system. Unusually strong bids communicate an especially high number of points (normally 20 or more) or a high trick-taking potential (normally 8 or more).</p>
<p>Opening bids at the one level are made with hands containing 12–13 points or more and which are not suitable for one of the preceding bids. Using <a href="/wiki/Standard_American" title="Standard American">Standard American</a> with <a href="/wiki/Five-card_majors" title="Five-card majors">5-card majors</a>, opening hearts or spades usually promises a 5-card suit. Partnerships who agree to play 5-card majors open a <a href="/wiki/Minor_suit" title="Minor suit">minor suit</a> with 4-card majors and then bid their <a href="/wiki/Major_suit" title="Major suit">major suit</a> at the next opportunity. This means that an opening bid of 1♣ or 1<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span> will sometimes be made with only 3 cards in that suit.</p>
<p>Doubles are sometimes given conventional meanings in otherwise mostly natural systems. A natural, or <i>penalty</i> double, is one used to try to gain extra points when the defenders are confident of setting (defeating) the contract. The most common example of a conventional double is the <a href="/wiki/Takeout_double" title="Takeout double">takeout double</a> of a low-level suit bid, implying support for the unbid suits or the unbid major suits and asking partner to choose one of them.</p>
<h4><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=16" title="Edit section: Variations on the basic themes">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Variations_on_the_basic_themes">Variations on the basic themes</span></h4>
<p>Bidding systems depart from these basic ideas in varying degrees. <a href="/wiki/Standard_American" title="Standard American">Standard American</a>, for instance, is a collection of conventions designed to bolster the accuracy and power of these basic ideas, while Precision Club is a system that uses the 1♣ opening bid for all or almost all strong hands (but sets the threshold for "strong" rather lower than most other systems&#160;— usually 16 high card points) and may include other artificial calls to handle other situations (but it may contain natural calls as well). Many experts today use a system called <a href="/wiki/2/1_game_forcing" title="2/1 game forcing">2/1 game forcing</a> (pronounced two over one game forcing), which is similar to but more complicated than Standard American. In the UK, <a href="/wiki/Acol" title="Acol">Acol</a> is the most common system.</p>
<p>There are also a variety of advanced techniques used for hand evaluation. The most basic is <a href="/wiki/Point_count" title="Point count" class="mw-redirect">the Milton Work point count</a>, (the 4-3-2-1 system detailed above) but this is sometimes modified in various ways, or either augmented or replaced by other approaches such as <a href="/wiki/Losing_trick_count" title="Losing trick count" class="mw-redirect">losing trick count</a>, <a href="/w/index.php?title=Honor_point_count&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Honor point count (page does not exist)">honor point count</a>, <a href="/wiki/Law_of_total_tricks" title="Law of total tricks">law of total tricks</a>, or <a href="/wiki/Zar_Points" title="Zar Points">Zar Points</a>.</p>
<p>Common conventions and variations within natural systems include:</p>
<dl>
<dd>
<ul>
<li>Point count required for 1 NT opening bid ('mini' 10-12, 'weak' 12-14, 'strong' 15-17 or 16-18)</li>
<li>Whether an opening bid of 1<span style="color: red">♥</span> and 1♠ requires a minimum of 4 or 5 cards in the suit (<i>4 or 5 card majors</i>)</li>
<li>Whether 1♣ (and sometimes 1<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span>) is 'natural' or 'suspect' <i>(also called 'phoney' or 'short')</i>, signifying an opening hand lacking a notable heart or spade suit</li>
<li>Whether opening bids at the two level are 'strong' (20+ points) or '<a href="/wiki/Weak_two_bid" title="Weak two bid">weak</a>' (i.e., pre-emptive with a 6 card suit). (Note: an <a href="/wiki/Strong_two_clubs" title="Strong two clubs">opening bid</a> of 2♣ is usually played in otherwise natural systems as conventional, signifying any exceptionally strong hand)</li>
<li><i><a href="/wiki/Blackwood_convention" title="Blackwood convention">Blackwood</a></i> (either the original version or <i><a href="/wiki/Blackwood_convention#Roman_Key_Card_Blackwood_.28RKCB.29" title="Blackwood convention">Roman Key Card</a></i>)</li>
<li><i><a href="/wiki/Stayman_convention" title="Stayman convention">Stayman</a></i> (together with Blackwood, described as "the two most famous conventions in Bridge".<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span>[</span>15<span>]</span></a></sup>)</li>
<li>Whether the partnership will play <i><a href="/wiki/Jacoby_transfer" title="Jacoby transfer">Jacoby transfers</a></i> (bids of 2<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span> and 2<span style="color: red">♥</span> over 1NT or 3<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span> and 3<span style="color: red">♥</span> over 2NT respectively require the 1NT or 2NT bidder to rebid 2<span style="color: red">♥</span> and 2♠ or 3<span style="color: red">♥</span> and 3♠), <i>minor suit transfers</i> (bids of 2♠ and either 2NT or 3♣ over 1NT respectfully require the 1NT bidder to bid 3♣ and 3<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span>) and <i>Texas transfers</i> (bids of 4<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span> and 4<span style="color: red">♥</span> respectively require the 1NT, or 2NT bidder to rebid 4<span style="color: red">♥</span> and 4♠)</li>
<li>What types of <i><a href="/wiki/Cue_bid" title="Cue bid">cue bids</a> (e.g. rebidding the opponent's suit)</i> the partnership will play, if any.</li>
<li>Whether doubling a contract at the 1, 2 and sometimes higher levels signifies a belief that the opponents' contract will fail and a desire to raise the stakes (a <i>penalty double</i>), or an indication of strength but no biddable suit coupled with a request that partner bid something (a <i><a href="/wiki/Takeout_double" title="Takeout double">takeout double</a></i>).</li>
<li>How the partnership's bidding practices will be varied if their opponents intervene or compete.</li>
<li>Which (if any) bids are <i><a href="/wiki/Forcing_bid" title="Forcing bid">forcing</a></i> and require a response.</li>
</ul>
</dd>
</dl>
<p>Within play, it is also commonly agreed what systems of opening leads, signals and discards will be played:</p>
<dl>
<dd>
<ul>
<li>Conventions for the <a href="/wiki/Opening_lead" title="Opening lead">opening lead</a> govern how the first card to be played will be chosen and what it will mean,</li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Signal_(bridge)" title="Signal (bridge)">Signals</a> indicate how cards played within a suit are chosen&#160;— for example, playing a noticeably high card when this would not be expected can signal encouragement to continue playing the suit, and a low card can signal discouragement and a desire for partner to choose some other suit. (Some partnerships use "reverse" signals, meaning that a noticeably high card <i>discourages</i> that suit and a noticeably low card <i>encourages</i> that suit, thus not "wasting" a potentially useful intermediate card in the suit of interest.)</li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Discard_(bridge)" title="Discard (bridge)" class="mw-redirect">Discards</a> cover the situation when a defender cannot follow suit and therefore has free choice what card to play or throw away. In such circumstances the thrown-away card can be used to indicate some aspect of the hand, or a desire for a specific suit to be played.</li>
<li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Count_Signals_(bridge)&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Count Signals (bridge) (page does not exist)">Count signals</a> cover the situation when a defender is following suit (usually to a suit that the declarer has led). In such circumstances the order in which a defender plays his spot cards will indicate whether an even or odd number of cards was originally held in that suit. This can help the other defender count out the entire original distribution of the cards in that suit. It is sometimes critical to know this when defending.</li>
</ul>
</dd>
</dl>
<h4><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=17" title="Edit section: Advanced bidding techniques">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Advanced_bidding_techniques">Advanced bidding techniques</span></h4>
<p>Every call (including "pass", also sometimes called "no bid") serves two purposes. It confirms or passes some information to a partner, and also denies by implication any other kind of hand which would have tended to support an alternative call. For example, a bid of 2NT immediately after partner's 1NT not only shows a balanced hand of a certain point range, but also would almost always deny possession of a five-card major suit (otherwise the player would have bid it) or even a four card major suit (in that case, the player would probably have used the Stayman convention).</p>
<p>Likewise, in some partnerships the bid of 2<span style="color: red">♥</span> in the sequence 1NT - 2♣ - 2<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span> - 2<span style="color: red">♥</span> between partners (opponents passing throughout) explicitly shows five hearts but also confirms four cards in spades: the bidder must hold at least five hearts to make it worth looking for a heart fit after 2<span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span> denied a four card major, and with at least five hearts, a Stayman bid must have been justified by having exactly four spades, the other major (since Stayman (as used by this partnership) is not useful with anything except a four card major suit).<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span>[</span>16<span>]</span></a></sup> Thus an astute partner can read much more than the surface meaning into the bidding. Alternatively, many partnerships play this same bidding sequence as "Crawling Stayman" by which the responder shows a weak hand (less than eight high card points) with shortness in diamonds but at least four hearts and four spades; the opening bidder may correct to spades if that appears to be the better contract.</p>
<p>The situations detailed here are extremely simple examples; many instances of advanced bidding involve specific agreements related to very specific situations and subtle inferences regarding entire sequences of calls.</p>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=18" title="Edit section: Play techniques">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Play_techniques">Play techniques</span></h3>
<div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Play_techniques_(bridge)" title="Play techniques (bridge)">Play techniques (bridge)</a></div>
<p><a href="/wiki/Terence_Reese" title="Terence Reese">Terence Reese</a>, a prolific author of bridge books, points out that there are only four ways of taking a trick by force, two of which are very easy:</p>
<ul>
<li>playing a high card that no one else can beat</li>
<li>trumping an opponent's high card</li>
<li>establishing long suits (the last cards in a suit will take tricks if the opponents don't have the suit and are unable to trump)</li>
<li>playing for the opponents' high cards to be in a particular position (if their ace is to the right of your king, your king may be able to take a trick, especially if, when that suit is led, the player to your right has to play their card before you do)</li>
</ul>
<p>Nearly all trick-taking techniques in bridge can be reduced to one of these four methods.</p>
<p>The optimum play of the cards can require much thought and experience, and is too complicated to describe in a short article. However, below are some of the common techniques.</p>
<h4><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=19" title="Edit section: Techniques by declarer">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Techniques_by_declarer">Techniques by declarer</span></h4>
<ul>
<li>establishing long suits</li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Finesse" title="Finesse">finessing</a></li>
<li>when not to finesse</li>
<li>the <a href="/wiki/Holdup_(bridge)" title="Holdup (bridge)">holdup</a> (mostly at NT contracts)</li>
<li>timing</li>
<li>unblocking</li>
<li>blocking</li>
<li>managing entries</li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Trumping" title="Trumping" class="mw-redirect">trumping</a></li>
<li>the <a href="/wiki/Crossruff" title="Crossruff" class="mw-redirect">crossruff</a></li>
<li>when to draw trumps (how many rounds to draw)</li>
<li>when not to draw trumps
<ul>
<li>ruffing losers</li>
<li>discarding a quick loser</li>
<li>complete crossruff</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h4><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=20" title="Edit section: Advanced techniques by declarer">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Advanced_techniques_by_declarer">Advanced techniques by declarer</span></h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="/wiki/Card_reading_(Bridge)" title="Card reading (Bridge)" class="mw-redirect">card reading (counting the hand)</a></li>
<li>the <a href="/wiki/Duck_(bridge)" title="Duck (bridge)">duck</a></li>
<li>the <a href="/wiki/Dummy_reversal" title="Dummy reversal" class="mw-redirect">dummy reversal</a></li>
<li>the <a href="/wiki/Endplay" title="Endplay">endplay</a></li>
<li>various <a href="/wiki/Coup_(bridge)" title="Coup (bridge)">coups</a></li>
<li>the <a href="/wiki/Squeeze_play_(bridge)" title="Squeeze play (bridge)">squeeze</a></li>
<li>the <a href="/wiki/Principle_of_restricted_choice_(bridge)" title="Principle of restricted choice (bridge)">principle of restricted choice</a></li>
<li>the theory of vacant spaces (probability)</li>
<li>techniques for playing various <a href="/wiki/Suit_combinations" title="Suit combinations" class="mw-redirect">suit combinations</a></li>
<li>percentages</li>
<li>the <a href="/wiki/Safety_play" title="Safety play">safety play</a></li>
</ul>
<h4><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=21" title="Edit section: Techniques by defenders">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Techniques_by_defenders">Techniques by defenders</span></h4>
<p>Defense is commonly seen as much harder than playing as a declarer mainly because the defenders have less information than the declarer. It starts from an <a href="/wiki/Opening_lead" title="Opening lead">opening lead</a>. The opening lead can often determine the number of tricks the defenders can win. It's so important that the common opening lead conventions are usually included in the <a href="/w/index.php?title=Convention_card_(bridge)&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Convention card (bridge) (page does not exist)">convention card</a>. Below are the most commonly used conventions:</p>
<ul>
<li>Which card to lead in a suit
<ul>
<li>the higher card from a doubleton to show count, create ruff opportunity, and avoid blocking (with or without honors)</li>
<li>the top card from a <i>three-card</i> sequence with honor(s) to cash and possibly establish the suit (strong enough to do so)</li>
<li>the smallest one or the fourth-highest card in a suit with honor to encourage return and help establish the suit (both suit and no-trump contracts)</li>
<li>A or K from a suit led by AK for suit and no-trump contracts (depending on conventions)</li>
<li>an agreed card from a three-card suit without honor in suit and no-trump contracts (depending on conventions). The middle card from a three card suit without honor is a commonly used agreement</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Which suit to lead
<ul>
<li>singleton/doubleton for ruff in the second/third round</li>
<li>longest and strongest in notrump contracts</li>
<li>partner's bid suit</li>
<li>trump suit</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Aggressive or passive leads</li>
</ul>
<p>After the opening lead, the most important technique is <a href="/wiki/Signal_(bridge)" title="Signal (bridge)">signaling</a>. There are three types of signals: attitude signals, count signals, and suit preference signals. Among them, the attitude signals are most frequently used. As its name shows, signaling is to disclose one defender's card information to the other defender (and the declarer as well).</p>
<p>Since the defenders usually have access to less information, communication is more crucial in defense. As seen above, both opening lead and signals disclose valuable information to help communicate. Other techniques for better communication include <a href="/w/index.php?title=Unblocking_(bridge)&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Unblocking (bridge) (page does not exist)">unblocking</a>, <a href="/w/index.php?title=Overtaking_(bridge)&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Overtaking (bridge) (page does not exist)">overtaking</a> and <a href="/w/index.php?title=Ducking_(bridge)&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Ducking (bridge) (page does not exist)">ducking</a>.</p>
<p>Generally, it's more effective for a beginner to learn play as a declarer before play as a defender since techniques for defenders are related to the declarer techniques, which are easier to understand.</p>
<h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=22" title="Edit section: Example">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Example">Example</span></h2>
<div class="rellink boilerplate seealso">For more details on this topic, see <a href="/wiki/Contract_bridge_glossary" title="Contract bridge glossary" class="mw-redirect">Contract bridge glossary</a>.</div>
<table class="wikitable" align="left" style="width:300px;">
<tr>
<td style="width:33%; background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="2" rowspan="4"></td>
<td style="width:3%; color:0">♠</td>
<td style="width:30%;">J 3</td>
<td style="width:33%; background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="2" rowspan="4"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="color:#FF0000;">♥</td>
<td>J 8 7 4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="color:#FF0000;">♦</td>
<td>A 10 7 6 5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="color:#000000;">♣</td>
<td>Q 3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:3%;">♠</td>
<td style="width:30%;">K Q 8 7 2</td>
<td colspan="2" rowspan="4" align="center" style="background-color:#008000; color:#FFFFFF;">
<p align="center"><b>N</b></p>
<p align="center"><b>W&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;E</b></p>
<p align="center"><b>S</b></p>
</td>
<td style="width:3%;">♠</td>
<td style="width:30%">10 9 5 4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:3%; color:#FF0000;">♥</td>
<td style="width:30%">A 2</td>
<td style="width:3%; color:#FF0000;">♥</td>
<td style="width:30%">9 6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:3%; color:#FF0000;">♦</td>
<td style="width:30%">J 4 2</td>
<td style="width:3%; color:#FF0000;">♦</td>
<td style="width:30%">K Q 9</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:3%;">♣</td>
<td style="width:30%">10 7 2</td>
<td style="width:3%;">♣</td>
<td style="width:30%">K 9 6 4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:33%; background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="2" rowspan="4"></td>
<td style="width:3%;">♠</td>
<td style="width:30%">A 6</td>
<td style="width:33%; background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="2" rowspan="4"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="color:#FF0000;">♥</td>
<td>K Q 10 5 3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="color:#FF0000;">♦</td>
<td>8 3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>♣</td>
<td>A J 8 5</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>The cards are dealt as in the <a href="/wiki/Contract_bridge_diagram" title="Contract bridge diagram">diagram</a>, and North is the dealer. As neither North nor East have sufficient strength to <i>open</i> the bidding, they each pass, denying such strength. South, next in turn, opens with the bid of 1<span style="color: red">♥</span>, which denotes a reasonable heart suit (at least 4 or 5 cards long, depending on the system) and at least 12 <a href="/wiki/High_card_point" title="High card point" class="mw-redirect">high card points</a>. On this hand, south has 14 high card points. West <i><a href="/wiki/Overcall" title="Overcall">overcalls</a></i> with 1♠, since he has a longish spade suit of reasonable quality and 10 high card points (an overcall can be made on a hand that is not quite strong enough for an opening bid). North <i>supports</i> partner's suit with 2<span style="color: red">♥</span>, showing heart support and about 6-8 points. East supports spades with 2♠. South inserts a <i><a href="/wiki/Game_try" title="Game try">game try</a></i> of 3♣, <i>inviting</i> the partner to bid the <i>game</i> of 4<span style="color: red">♥</span> with good club support and overall values. North complies, as North is at the higher end of the range for his 2<span style="color: red">♥</span> bid, and has a fourth trump (the 2<span style="color: red">♥</span> bid promised only three), and the <i>doubleton</i> queen of clubs to fit with partner's strength there. (North could instead have bid 3<span style="color: red">♥</span>, indicating not enough strength for game, asking south to pass and so play 3<span style="color: red">♥</span>.) The bidding was:</p>
<table class="wikitable">
<tr>
<th>West</th>
<th>North</th>
<th>East</th>
<th>South</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>Pass</td>
<td>Pass</td>
<td>1<span style="color: red">♥</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1♠</td>
<td>2<span style="color: red">♥</span></td>
<td>2♠</td>
<td>3♣</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Pass</td>
<td>4<span style="color: red">♥</span></td>
<td>Pass</td>
<td>Pass</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Pass</td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>In the auction, North-South are trying to investigate whether their cards are sufficient to make a <b>game</b> (ten tricks in hearts or spades, 11 tricks in clubs or diamonds), which yields bonus points if bid and made. East-West are <i>competing</i> in spades, hoping to play a contract in spades at a low level. 4<span style="color: red">♥</span> is the final contract, 10 tricks being required for N-S to make with hearts as trump.</p>
<p>South is the <i>declarer</i>, having been first to bid hearts, and the player to South's left, West, has to choose the first card in the play, known as the <i>opening lead</i>. West chooses the spade king because spades is the suit the partnership has shown strength in, and because they have agreed that when they hold two <i>touching honors</i> (or <i>adjacent honors</i>) they will play the higher one first. West plays the card face down, to give their partner and the declarer (but not dummy) a chance to ask any last questions about the bidding or to object if they believe West is not the correct hand to lead. After that, North's cards are laid on the table and North becomes <i>dummy</i>, as both the North and South hands will be controlled by the declarer. West turns the lead card face up, and the declarer studies the two hands to make a plan for the play. On this hand, the trump ace, a spade, and a diamond trick must be lost, so declarer must not lose a trick in clubs.</p>
<p>If the ♣K is held by West, South will find it very hard to prevent it making a trick (unless West leads a club). However, there is an almost-equal chance that it is held by East, in which case it can be 'trapped' against the ace, and will be beaten, using a tactic known as a <i><a href="/wiki/Finesse" title="Finesse">finesse</a></i>.</p>
<p>After considering the cards, the declarer directs dummy (North) to play a small spade. East plays <i>low</i> (small card) and South takes the ♠A, gaining the <i>lead</i>. (South may also elect to <i><a href="/wiki/Duck_(bridge)" title="Duck (bridge)">duck</a></i>, but for the purpose of this example, let us assume South wins the ♠A at trick 1). South proceeds by <i>drawing trump</i>, leading the <span style="color: red">♥</span>K. West decides there is no benefit to holding back, and so wins the trick with the ace, and then cashes the ♠Q. For fear of conceding a <i><a href="/wiki/Ruff_and_discard" title="Ruff and discard" class="mw-redirect">ruff and discard</a></i>, West plays the <span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span>2 instead of another spade. Declarer plays low from the table, and East scores the <span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span>Q. Not having anything better to do, East returns the remaining trump, taken in South's hand. The trumps now accounted for, South can now execute the finesse, perhaps trapping the king as planned. South <i>enters</i> the dummy (i.e. wins a trick in the dummy's hand) by leading a low diamond, using dummy's <span style="color:red"><big><tt>♦</tt></big></span>A to win the trick, and leads the ♣Q from dummy to the next trick. East <i>covers</i> the queen with the king, and South takes the trick with the Ace, and proceeds by <i>cashing</i> the remaining <i>master</i> ♣J. (If East doesn't play the king, then South will play a low club from South's hand and the queen will win anyway, this being the essence of the finesse). The game is now safe: South <i><a href="/wiki/Ruff_(cards)" title="Ruff (cards)">ruffs</a></i> a small club with a dummy's trump, then ruffs a diamond in hand for an <i>entry</i> back, and ruffs the last club in dummy (sometimes described as a <i><a href="/wiki/Crossruff" title="Crossruff" class="mw-redirect">crossruff</a></i>). Finally, South <i>claims</i> the remaining tricks by showing his or her hand, as it now contains only high trumps and there's no need to play the hand out to prove they are all winners.</p>
<p>(The trick-by-trick notation used above can be also expressed in tabular form, but a textual explanation is usually preferred in practice, for reader's convenience. Plays of small cards or <i>discards</i> are often omitted from such a description, unless they were important for the outcome).</p>
<p>North-South score the required 10 tricks, and their opponents take the remaining 3. The contract is fulfilled, and North enters the pair numbers, the contract, and the score of +620 for the winning side (North is in charge of bookkeeping in duplicate tournaments) on the <a href="/wiki/Traveling_sheet" title="Traveling sheet">traveling sheet</a>. North asks East to check the score entered on the traveller. All players return their own cards to the board, and the next deal is played.</p>
<p>On the prior hand, it is quite possible that the ♣K is held by West. For example, by swapping the ♣K and <span style="color: red">♥</span>A between the defending hands. Then the 4<span style="color: red">♥</span> contract would fail by one trick (unless West had led a club early in the play). However the failure of the contract would not mean that 4<span style="color: red">♥</span> is a bad contract on this hand. The contract depends on the club finesse working, or a mis-defense. The bonus points awarded for making a game contract far outweigh the penalty for going one off, so it is best strategy in the long run to bid game contracts such as this one.</p>
<p>Similarly, there is a minuscule chance that the ♣K is in the west hand, but the west hand has no other clubs. In that case, declarer can succeed by simply cashing the ♣A, felling the ♣K and setting up the ♣Q as a winner. However the chance of this is far lower than the simple chance of approximately 50% that East started with the ♣K. Therefore the superior <i>percentage</i> play is to take the club finesse, as described above.</p>
<h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=23" title="Edit section: Playing on the Internet">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Playing_on_the_Internet">Playing on the Internet</span></h2>
<p>There are several free and some subscription-based servers available for playing bridge on the <a href="/wiki/Internet" title="Internet">Internet</a>. <a href="http://www.okbridge.com/" class="external text" rel="nofollow">OKbridge</a> is the oldest of the still-running Internet Bridge services; players of all standards, from beginners to world champions may be found playing there. OKbridge is a subscription based club, so it offers premium services such as customer support and ethics reviews. Another subscription-based and institutionalized online Bridge club since 1994 is <a href="http://www.bridgeclublive.com/" class="external text" rel="nofollow">Bridge Club Live</a> (BCL). With the claim of being "The Friendliest Bridge Club of the World", BCL organizes 4-6 day annual meetings in different countries each year to get together its members. <a href="http://www.swangames.com/" class="external text" rel="nofollow">SWAN Games</a> is a more recent competitor of subscription-based online Bridge clubs. <a href="/wiki/Bridge_Base_Online" title="Bridge Base Online" class="mw-redirect">Bridge Base Online</a> is the most populated online bridge club in the world, in part because it is free to play regular games thereon. The above online clubs offer various features such as options to earn ACBL masterpoints, play in online tournaments, compile lists of friends, purchase software to improve Bridge skills, and earn money playing Bridge. On Bridge Base Online there is also a <a href="/wiki/VuGraph" title="VuGraph">VuGraph</a> feature where important international events are shown for anyone interested to watch.</p>
<p>Some national contract bridge organizations that now offer online bridge play to their members include the English Bridge Union, the Dutch Bridge Union and the Australian Bridge Federation. MSN and Yahoo! Games have several online rubber bridge rooms. In 2001, World Bridge Federation issued a special edition of the lawbook adapted for internet and other electronic forms of the game.</p>
<p>Differences relevant to online play include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Flexibility when to play, and choice of opponent skill level.</li>
<li>Player rating systems may attempt to measure ability without regard to the number of games played or the number of years spent accumulating <a href="/wiki/Masterpoints" title="Masterpoints">masterpoints</a>.</li>
<li>Fewer restrictions on the conventions that are permitted.</li>
<li>Unauthorised information cannot be passed by <a href="/wiki/Nonverbal_communication" title="Nonverbal communication">tone of voice</a> or <a href="/wiki/Body_language" title="Body language">body language</a> (but can much more easily be passed by external communication).</li>
<li>Detailed records can be kept, to help resolve complaints.</li>
<li>The software prevents improper plays and calls, such as insufficient bids, <a href="/wiki/Revoke" title="Revoke">revokes</a> (failure to follow suit when able), and actions out of turn.</li>
</ul>
<p>There are also a number of disadvantages:</p>
<ul>
<li>Inability to decide on bidding convention ahead of time, because partners are (usually) strangers.</li>
<li>A reduced social element.</li>
<li>Players may leave before a hand finishes, or in the middle of a planned session, either intentionally or because of connection difficulties.</li>
</ul>
<h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=24" title="Edit section: Computer bridge">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Computer_bridge">Computer bridge</span></h2>
<p>After many years of little progress, at the end of the twentieth century <a href="/wiki/Computer_bridge" title="Computer bridge">computer bridge</a> made big strides forward. In 1996, the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) initiated official World Championships Computer Bridge, to be held annually along with a major bridge event. The first Computer Bridge Championship took place in 1997 at the North American Bridge Championships in <a href="/wiki/Albuquerque,_New_Mexico" title="Albuquerque, New Mexico">Albuquerque, New Mexico</a>.</p>
<p>Strong bridge playing programs such as Jack (World Champion computer bridge 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2009), Wbridge5 (World Champion computer bridge 2005, 2007 and 2008) and multiple time finalist Bridge Baron, would probably rank among the top few thousand human pairs worldwide. A series of articles published in 2005 and 2006 in the Dutch bridge magazine <a href="/wiki/List_of_significant_bridge_books_and_magazines" title="List of significant bridge books and magazines" class="mw-redirect">IMP</a> describes matches between Jack and seven top Dutch pairs. A total of 196 boards were played. Overall, the program Jack lost, but by a small margin (359 versus 385 imps).</p>
<h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=25" title="Edit section: Card games related to bridge">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Card_games_related_to_bridge">Card games related to bridge</span></h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="/wiki/Ombre" title="Ombre">Ombre</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Skat_(card_game)" title="Skat (card game)">Skat</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Euchre" title="Euchre">Euchre</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Whist" title="Whist">Whist</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Primero" title="Primero">Primero</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Spoil_Five" title="Spoil Five">Spoil Five</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Quadrille_(card_game)" title="Quadrille (card game)">Quadrille</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Loo_(card_game)" title="Loo (card game)" class="mw-redirect">Loo</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Napoleon_(card_game)" title="Napoleon (card game)">Nap</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/King_(card_game)" title="King (card game)">King</a></li>
</ul>
<h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=26" title="Edit section: See also">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="See_also">See also</span></h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="/wiki/Bridge_Murder_case" title="Bridge Murder case">Bridge Murder case</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/List_of_bridge_books_and_magazines" title="List of bridge books and magazines">List of bridge books and magazines</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/List_of_bridge_competitions_and_awards" title="List of bridge competitions and awards">List of bridge competitions and awards</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/List_of_bridge_people" title="List of bridge people">List of bridge people</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Beer_card" title="Beer card">Beer card</a>, a.k.a. the 7 of diamonds</li>
</ul>
<h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=27" title="Edit section: References">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="references-small">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-0"><b><a href="#cite_ref-0">^</a></b> <span class="citation book"><a href="/wiki/Terence_Reese" title="Terence Reese">Reese, Terence</a> (1980). <i>Bridge</i>. Teach Yourself Books. Hodder and Stoughton. <a href="/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number" title="International Standard Book Number">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-340-32438-4" title="Special:BookSources/0-340-32438-4">0-340-32438-4</a>.</span><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Bridge&amp;rft.aulast=Reese&amp;rft.aufirst=Terence&amp;rft.au=Reese%2C%26%2332%3BTerence&amp;rft.date=1980&amp;rft.series=Teach+Yourself+Books&amp;rft.pub=Hodder+and+Stoughton&amp;rft.isbn=0-340-32438-4&amp;rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Contract_bridge"><span style="display: none;">&#160;</span></span>, page 1.</li>
<li id="cite_note-1"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b> In face-to-face games, a convenient table size is from 32 to 40 inches (80 to 100 centimeters) square <a href="http://www.kardwell.com/bridge-tables.html" class="external autonumber" rel="nofollow">[1]</a><a href="http://shop6.mailordercentral.com/baronbarclay/TABLE-WITH-STRAIGHT-EDGES/productinfo/9802/" class="external autonumber" rel="nofollow">[2]</a><a href="http://www.boardgames.ca/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&amp;ProdID=24167" class="external autonumber" rel="nofollow">[3]</a> allowing each player to reach to the centre of the table during the play of the cards; in on-line computer play, players from anywhere in the world sit at a virtual table.</li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b> <span class="citation book"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Henry_Francis&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Henry Francis (page does not exist)">Francis, Henry</a> (2001). <i>The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge, 6th Edition</i>. American Contract Bridge League. <a href="/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number" title="International Standard Book Number">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-943855-44-6" title="Special:BookSources/0-943855-44-6">0-943855-44-6</a>.</span><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=The+Official+Encyclopedia+of+Bridge%2C+6th+Edition&amp;rft.aulast=Francis&amp;rft.aufirst=Henry&amp;rft.au=Francis%2C%26%2332%3BHenry&amp;rft.date=2001&amp;rft.pub=American+Contract+Bridge+League&amp;rft.isbn=0-943855-44-6&amp;rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Contract_bridge"><span style="display: none;">&#160;</span></span>, page 81: COMPASS POINTS.</li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b> <span class="citation book"><a href="/wiki/Eddie_Kantar" title="Eddie Kantar" class="mw-redirect">Kantar, Eddie</a> (2006). <i>Bridge for Dummies, 2nd Edition</i>. Wiley Publishing, Inc.. <a href="/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number" title="International Standard Book Number">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-471-92426-5" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-471-92426-5">978-0-471-92426-5</a>.</span><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Bridge+for+Dummies%2C+2nd+Edition&amp;rft.aulast=Kantar&amp;rft.aufirst=Eddie&amp;rft.au=Kantar%2C%26%2332%3BEddie&amp;rft.date=2006&amp;rft.pub=Wiley+Publishing%2C+Inc.&amp;rft.isbn=978-0-471-92426-5&amp;rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Contract_bridge"><span style="display: none;">&#160;</span></span>, page 11.</li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b> The dealer is determined by the cut of the cards or in <a href="/wiki/Duplicate_bridge" title="Duplicate bridge">duplicate bridge</a> is pre-determined by the <a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_contract_bridge_terms#board" title="Glossary of contract bridge terms">board</a>.</li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b> Calls are made using a limited number of permissible words: (1) a bid, being a number from "one" to "seven" inclusive together with a strain (also known as denomination) in the singular or plural ("club"/"clubs", "diamond"/"diamonds", "heart"/"hearts", "spade"/"spades" and "notrump"), such as "one heart", "two notrump" or "three spades", (2) "pass", (3) "double", and (4) "redouble".</li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b> Also known as the <a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_contract_bridge_terms#denomination" title="Glossary of contract bridge terms">denomination</a>.</li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b> See also the <a href="/wiki/Bermuda_Bowl" title="Bermuda Bowl">Bermuda Bowl</a>, the <a href="/wiki/World_Team_Olympiad" title="World Team Olympiad">World Team Olympiad</a> and the <a href="/wiki/North_American_Bridge_Championships" title="North American Bridge Championships">North American Bridge Championships</a>.</li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b> (Elwell 1905 and Benedict 1900)</li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b> (Melrose 1901)</li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b> (Foster 1889)</li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b> (Bergholt 1915)</li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b> <i>Turning Tricks&#160;— The rise and fall of contract bridge, The New Yorker</i>, September 17, 2007 <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2007/09/17/070917crbo_books_owen" class="external text" rel="nofollow">Newyorker.com</a></li>
<li id="cite_note-IOC-13"><b><a href="#cite_ref-IOC_13-0">^</a></b> <span class="citation web"><a href="http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_527.pdf" class="external text" rel="nofollow">"Review of the Olympic programme and the recommendations on the programme of the games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008; page 8"</a>. 2002-08<span class="printonly">. <a href="http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_527.pdf" class="external free" rel="nofollow">http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_527.pdf</a></span>.</span><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=bookitem&amp;rft.btitle=Review+of+the+Olympic+programme+and+the+recommendations+on+the+programme+of+the+games+of+the+XXIX+Olympiad%2C+Beijing+2008%3B+page+8&amp;rft.atitle=&amp;rft.date=2002-08&amp;rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fmultimedia.olympic.org%2Fpdf%2Fen_report_527.pdf&amp;rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Contract_bridge"><span style="display: none;">&#160;</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b> Bridge Lessons series, <i>Stayman &amp; Transfer</i> (Deal 1), by Andrew Robson</li>
<li id="cite_note-15"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b> Taken from Andrew Robson <i>Bridge Lessons</i> series, "Stayman &amp; Transfer", deal 14</li>
</ol>
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<h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Contract_bridge&amp;action=edit&amp;section=28" title="Edit section: External links">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="External_links">External links</span></h2>
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<td class="mbox-image"><a href="http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Special:Search/Contract_bridge" title="Search Wikisource"><img alt="Search Wikisource" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/38px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png" width="38" height="40" /></a></td>
<td class="mbox-text" style=""><a href="/wiki/Wikisource" title="Wikisource">Wikisource</a> has the text of the <a href="/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition" title="Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition">1911 Encyclopædia Britannica</a> article <i><b><a href="http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Bridge" class="extiw" title="wikisource:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Bridge">Bridge</a></b></i>.</td>
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<li><a href="http://www.geocities.com/daniel_neill_2001/sys/WJ2005webpage.htm#_ftn1" class="external text" rel="nofollow">Wspólny Język 2005 (Polish Standard)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://kwbridge.com/" class="external text" rel="nofollow">Karen's Bridge Library (resources for learning to play bridge)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.masteringbridge.com" class="external text" rel="nofollow">Mastering Bridge (resources for teachers and students of bridge)</a></li>
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